Appeal No. 1997-3027
Application 08/301,926
Fraser et al. reference shows only one output terminal. The
Examiner is using Applicant’s admitted prior art to disclose
the teachings of two output terminals in a driver circuit.”
(Answer-page 5 and 6.)
We understand the Examiner’s rational but find it
ill founded. The Examiner has taken APA and found a reference
with a Schottky diode connected to the collector of two
separate transistors. This is hardly a reason to make a
combination. We have thoroughly reviewed Fraser, and can find
no teaching or suggestion in Fraser that diode D431 is used
for “preventing the flow of a damaging breakdown current”
(claim 1 language) or to save on the number of components or
space occupied by a circuit. Also, without further
illumination by the Examiner, we cannot see how “the subject
matter as a whole” (answer-page 5) would have suggested the
proffered combination. We do see a teaching in Khan that
component count and circuit size can be reduced by the use of
R2, Q9, Q6, and D2 (Figure 3) as components common to two
circuits (column 11, lines 16-40). However, although Khan’s
teaching may be more relevant to improving APA, we see
insufficient motivation for such a combination.
5
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007